Blame it on the 20-year cycle, but the 2000s nostalgia has been hitting hard around the Lab as of late. It’s not uncommon to hear old-school Kanye or Discovery-era Daft Punk blasting in the warehouse, or a conversation about LCD Soundsystem. No discussion about the aughts is complete without the iconic single “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand, which felt inescapable in the summer of 2004. It takes the anthemic garage rock licks of The Strokes and the dance-punk grooves of The Rapture and blends them into one of the catchiest songs of the era. Now, the self-titled record isn’t just one of those one hit, the-rest-is-filler albums—"The Dark of the Matinée," "This Fire," and "Michael" all went on to be hits in their own right. Influences of late 70s post-punk pioneers Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Wire, and The Fall permeate the tracks, helping balance out the rock band’s mainstream appeal with an art school ethos.

• 20th anniversary edition of Glasgow indie rock quintet's debut studio album
• orange & black swirl colored vinyl
• printed inner sleeve
• digital download included
• limited edition
• original release year: 2004
• music label: Domino 2024

reviewed by SHH! 08/2021